Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 7
Derivation
Uddhāra) of the Sakalādi Mantra (सकलादिमन्त्रोद्धारः
सुखविम्बो भीषनश् च कृतान्तः प्राणसंज्ञकः तेजस्वी शक्र उदधिः श्रीकण्ठः सिंह एव च
sukhavimbo bhīṣanaś ca kṛtāntaḥ prāṇasaṃjñakaḥ tejasvī śakra udadhiḥ śrīkaṇṭhaḥ siṃha eva ca
ಅವನು ಸುಖವಿಂಬ (ಆನಂದಮಯ ಪ್ರಕಾಶಸ್ವರೂಪ); ಭೀಷಣ; ಕೃತಾಂತ (ಮರಣ/ಅಂತ್ಯಕರ್ತ); ಪ್ರಾಣಸಂಜ್ಞಕ (ಪ್ರಾಣವೆಂದು ಖ್ಯಾತ); ತೇಜಸ್ವಿ; ಶಕ್ರ (ಇಂದ್ರಸಮಾನ ಪರಾಕ್ರಮಿ); ಉದಧಿ (ಸಮುದ್ರ); ಶ್ರೀಕಂಠ (ಮಂಗಳಕಂಠ); ಮತ್ತು ಸಿಂಹ।
Lord Agni (narrating the name-list in the Agni Purana’s instructional voice)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Stotra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Japa of epithets to invoke specific bhāvas of Śiva—blissful radiance, terror, death-transcendence, prāṇa, splendor, sovereignty, vastness, and protective ferocity.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Śiva-nāmāni: Sukhavimba–Bhīṣaṇa–Kṛtānta–Prāṇasaṃjñaka (ādi)","lookup_keywords":["Sukhavimba","Bhīṣaṇa","Kṛtānta","Prāṇa-saṃjñaka","Śrīkaṇṭha"],"quick_summary":"Names present Śiva as both auspicious bliss and fearsome finisher, as prāṇa itself, and as oceanic vastness—supporting meditation that integrates life-force, mortality, and transcendence."}
Alamkara Type: Virodha/Paradox (sukha vs bhīṣaṇa; life-breath vs death) within nāma-listing
Concept: Non-dual integration of opposites: the same īśvara is bliss (sukha), terror (bhīṣaṇa), death (kṛtānta), and prāṇa—implying transcendence of dual categories.
Application: Meditate on the epithets sequentially: inhale with ‘Prāṇa-saṃjñaka’, exhale with ‘Kṛtānta’, resting awareness in ‘Sukhavimba’—a contemplative method to dissolve fear of death.
Khanda Section: Nama-stotra / Sahasranama (Divine epithets and name-lists used in japa and ritual recitation)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A composite depiction of Śiva shifting aspects: radiant blissful face, fearsome bhairava visage, a calm prāṇa-breath motif (wind/lotus), ocean backdrop, blue-throat Śrīkaṇṭha, and a lion emblem.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural showing Śiva as Śrīkaṇṭha with ocean behind, half the aura serene (Sukhavimba) and half fierce (Bhīṣaṇa), stylized breath-waves around the chest, lion emblem in the border.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore panel of Śrīkaṇṭha with ornate gold halo, ocean and conch motifs, small lion medallion, split-expression subtlety (serene yet powerful), rich jewel tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting with instructional clarity: labeled vignettes around central Śiva—Sukhavimba (radiant), Bhīṣaṇa (fierce), Kṛtānta (time/death wheel), Prāṇa (breath lines), Udadhi (waves), Siṃha (lion).","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of a riverside/oceanfront shrine: Śiva with blue throat, attendants, a lion standard, delicate wave patterns, and a subtle time-wheel motif indicating Kṛtānta."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भीषनश् च → भीषणः + च.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 316 nāma-kośa sequence (neighboring epithets); Agni Purana Śiva-pūjā and dhyāna sections (where Śrīkaṇṭha is invoked)
FAQs
It provides a sequence of ritual epithets (nāmas) intended for nāma-japa and stotra-style recitation, where each name functions as a meditative ‘handle’ for invoking specific divine qualities (bliss, awe, life-breath, splendour, sovereignty, vastness, auspiciousness, fearless protection).
By preserving a structured name-catalogue used in worship, it documents practical liturgical technology—how Puranic tradition encodes theology into recitable lists—alongside the Agni Purana’s broader coverage of ritual procedure, mantra-usage, and devotional disciplines.
Reciting and contemplating these nāmas is traditionally held to purify speech and mind, cultivate fearlessness and vitality (prāṇa), and align the practitioner with protective and auspicious divine powers, thereby reducing negative karmic tendencies and strengthening devotional merit.